Tag Archives: Single parents

Mar26

Queenie in Seven Moves – Zanni Louise

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Walker Books Australia

February 2023

ISBN13:9781760655662

Australia RRP:$16.99

New Zealand RRP:$18.99

So this is another that took some time to reach me but when it did I was immediately picking it up to read. Firstly, because of that gorgeous cover art but secondly because it’s Zanni Louise. Not only is she a fine writer, but she’s local (well, Bundjalung country is local enough for me!). And given, I usually receive an average of 8-10 books a week, it can not only take some time for me to get to some but also to read them. Not so this beauty. Binged it over two nights and loved every moment of it.

The rental crisis in Australia is so appalling – and The Kid and I are fully caught up in it (currently looking again for somewhere to live that’s affordable and not likely to be demolished soon) – and the ramifications of that for low-income earners, single parents, welfare recipients – or me – older women is totally horrendous. So Queenie’s dilemma with herself and her mum having to leave the little cottage they’ve always lived in and being shuffled from temporary lodging to temporary lodging, really resonated with me.

There would be many kiddos in this same situation and I know of one personally and another, as related to me by a colleague, who came to school so elated with the news ‘We have a house to live in!!’. So I was with Queenie every step of the way, staying with friends, staying with acquaintances, and, finally, staying with a potential step-dad, which of course has it’s own special set of anxieties. Watching Queenie blossom from a talented singer/songwriter, but one completely hamstrung by her anxiety, to a confident performer, with the help of her circle of friends – and her frenemy – is a lovely journey. It is one that will resonate with other children I am sure, whatever their particular strength and solace is.

This is a beautiful narrative, punctuated with feel-good moments, Queenie’s own unique approach to life and her music which gives her such a solid foundation and a supporting cast of memorable and lovable characters.

If I get the slightest chance, I’ll be sharing this with some middle-school kids but certainly I know that it will not take much reader advocacy to get this one moving in a steady rotation.

Highly recommended for your readers from around 10 years upwards.

Over 100,000 Australians will be homeless tonight. 42% of people experiencing homelessness are under 24 years old. Over 17,845 are children under 12 years old. There are over 9,700 homeless people in Brisbane on any given night (an alarming 1.97% of the population) The Salvation Army * 15% of the national average in Qld.

Oct22

The Light in Everything – Katya Balen

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Bloomsbury Australia

Bloomsbury Publishing

Imprint: Bloomsbury Children’s Books

July 2022

ISBN 9781526647405

RRP: $14.99

This is the third of Katya’s books I have read and honestly, I love her writing more each time. She has such skill in creating believable characters with whom the reader can easily connect and her deft hand in giving them such natural and authentic voices is wonderful.

Two very different children, each with a single parents, find themselves forced together and totally at odds. Their conflict is epic really and their complete disparity would seem an insurmountable obstacle to any kind of peaceful resolution.

Zofia lives with her dad by the sea in a small village where everyone knows everyone and Zofia’s classmates number not much more than a handful. Her mother died when she was just a baby, so she’s never known anything different to just being part of a pair with her doctor dad, Marek. Their life is busy and fun and sometimes wild, with Zofia being like a shaken bottle of fizzy drink – always effervescent and often messy and noisy.

Tom is quiet and fearful, and only just regaining some feeling of safety. He and his mum, Fiona, endured some cruel domestic violence but now his father is in prison and though he has been for two years, Tom is still frequently anxious and there are some things that he just cannot stand – like being shut in the dark.

When Marek and Fiona become not only a couple but a baby is expected, both children must face enormous upheavals in their lives. Fiona and Tom move into the little cottage, where the box room becomes a nursery and the spare room is turned into Tom’s bedroom. While both children fervently wish there was no baby and that things would go back to the way they were, they each have very different ways of responding. It will take a lot of time and learning to trust and, most of all, understanding for this family to consolidate.

While the specific circumstances may vary, there would be many children who find themselves in this same kind of predicament with a blended family situation and a new half-sibling arriving and each child will react differently but there is no doubt that this narrative will resonate with many.

It is a thoroughly splendid read and I highly recommend it for readers from around ten years upwards.